Author:
Monakale Katleho Sechaba,Smith Rae Marvin,Gaorekwe Realeboga Masego,Ledwaba Maphuti Betty,Malatji Dikeledi Petunia
Abstract
AbstractTicks are blood ectoparasites that feed on domestic, wild animals and humans. They spread a variety of infections such as protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. Moreover, cattle reared by smallholder farmers are susceptible to ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Therefore, accurate identification of ticks and detection of tick-borne pathogens is crucial. The main aim of this study was to identify and characterize ticks and tick-borne pathogens from selected villages in Greater Letaba Municipality, Limpopo Province, using morphological and molecular techniques. A total of 233 ticks were collected from cattle and identified morphologically using appropriate morphological keys. The following tick species were identified: Amblyomma hebraeum, Hyalomma rufipes, Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Rhipicephalus spp. was the most common species accounting to 73.8% of the identified ticks. The genomic DNA was extracted from the whole tick for tick identification and from midguts of the ticks for the detection of tick-borne pathogens, followed by amplification and sequencing. A total of 27 samples were positive for tick-borne pathogens: 23 samples tested positive for Theileria and four samples tested positive for Ehrlichia. Anaplasma and Rickettsial OmpB could not be detected from any of the samples. There was no obvious grouping of ticks and tick-borne pathogens on the bases of their locality. The findings of this study confirm previous reports that indicated that cattle reared by smallholder farmers harbor various ticks and tick-borne pathogens of veterinary, public health, and economic importance. Regular monitoring of tick infestations in villages around the study areas is recommended to avoid disease outbreaks.
Funder
University of South Africa
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference52 articles.
1. Abdigoudarzi M, Noureddine R, Seitzer U, Ahmed, J (2011) rDNA-ITS2 Identification of Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor and Boophilus spp. (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from different geographical regions of Iran. Advanced Studies in Biol 3(5):221–238 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264546561
2. Abubakar M, Perera PK, Iqbal A, Manzoor S (2018) Introductory chapter: ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Available at: www.intechopen.com [Accessed 8 August 2023]
3. Anderson JM, Ammerman NC, Norris DE (2004) Molecular differentiation of metastriate tick immatures. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Dis 4(4):334–342. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2004.4.334
4. Atif FA, Abbas RZ, Mehnaz S, Qamar MF, Hussain K, Nazir MU, Zaman MA, Khan AU, Said MB (2022) First report on molecular surveillance based on duplex detection of Anaplasma marginale and Theileria annulata in dairy cattle from Punjab. Pakistan Trop Anim Health Prod 54(2):155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03158-y
5. Balinandi S, Chitimia-Dobler L, Grandi G, Nakayiki T, Kabasa W, Bbira J, Lutwama JJ, Bakkes DK, Malmberg M, Mugisha L, Se MM (2020) Morphological and molecular identification of ixodid tick species (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cattle in Uganda. Parasitol Res 119:2411–2420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06742-z/Published